Scandalous (and not so scandalous) secrets related to gardening, cooking, health, nutrition, and whatever else crosses my mind . . . I am a long time organic gardener who has endeavored to educate myself in various ways--from learning and apprenticing with elder gardeners, to reading and researching, as well as doing my own experiments right in the garden . . .

Sunday, May 06, 2012

May in the Garden

When Food Prices Rise, Planting a Garden is Wise

Sticker shock increasingly hounds our food shopping
decisions. Unfortunately, this trend is set to continue, at least through next
winter, as both fuel and food prices continue to rise. Several factors are at
play, forcing staple supplies to dwindle while demand increases. First, looking
at the supply side, climate change and other forces have brought agricultural
woes to nearly every continent. Meanwhile, less land has been devoted to
growing food; because of urbanization, industrialization, and demand for
agricultural crops to produce ethanol and bio-diesel.

Demand for bio-fuels ties food prices to fuel prices,
and fuel is still going up. (Meanwhile, most of our food is planted, tended,
harvested, stored, and transported using large amounts of fuel, further tying
the costs of food to petroleum.) Other
factors contributing to demand include our growing planetary population and the
increasing middle class in China and India-- who now consume more grain and
more grain fed animal products than ever before. In the world-wide economy,
there are many demands on the available food. Prices are expected to continue going
up until the supply meets or exceeds the demand.

It’s
Time to Get Growing!

Whether
you want to help keep your families food budget in bounds, or are thinking of
growing a market garden to make a little cash, there has never been a better
time to get growing. While tomatoes, peppers, and summer squash are part of the
pleasures of summer, with food prices on the rise, I would like to encourage
everyone to plant some crops that can be saved for winter. Here are some ideas.

Jerusalem Artichokes
are at the top of the list for productivity. Plant them now, and dig their
delicious tubers beginning this fall. Each plant produces between five and
fifteen pounds of food! (They can be
very expensive in catalogs; however, they are available at reasonable prices
locally.)

Pumpkins and Winter Squash
store well, are easy to grow, nutritious, and yummy. Seeds and starts are
widely available at nurseries and generally reasonably priced.

Potatoes
thrive
in cool moist weather. Anytime you find
yourself in possession of sprouting potatoes you can plant them in the home
garden. Mulch them well for the best
crops. I have been teaming up potatoes with squash. If we don’t have a hot summer, at least the potatoes
should produce; and if the sun decides to warm things up, the squash will help
shade the potatoes.

Painted Mountain Flour Corn
(not the related Painted Mountain Sweet Corn) was bred to withstand both
drought and cool soils. Flour corn is easy to grow, dry, and can then be stored
to use with beans in soup. You can also grind it for grits and corn meal.

Consider growing some small grains
for nutrition and food security, here are some suggestions for both hot weather
and cool wet weather. (The La Nina weather pattern is predicted to continue;
keeping our weather cool and moist. I don’t really trust the predictions. I say be prepared for anything.)

Amaranth
generally
produces well whether the weather is hot or cool. Choose large grained
varieties.

Buckwheat
likes
cool damp weather. Purchase it from bulk bins at health food store or larger
grocery stores. Be sure you get raw buckwheat and not roasted buckwheat grouts.

Millet,
pair
Japanese millet which can stand waterlogged soils with Proso millet which can
take the heat and is easy to thresh.

Quinoa
can
take cool damp weather, choose a large seeded variety.

Last
but not least, add some legumes. Legumes (beans and peas) fix nitrogen and
improve the soil, and they form a complete protein when paired with grains.
Most beans can be eaten green as a vegetable or let mature to dry for soup
beans. Here are a few of suggestions for
soup beans that will improve your family’s food security:

Anasazi beans
can take the drought, and can be purchased from bins at the health food store.

Runner Beans like
cool moist weather and are commonly available in many catalogs.

Fava Beans
are easy to grow and all parts are edible including the leaves, flowers, green
beans, and dry beans. Available in many catalogs and also in bulk bins.

You
can also do your own research on other varieties. In fact, the more diverse the seed bank we
can create in our gardens, the more secure our food supply will be. Try to
choose two varieties of each crop you want to grow; one adapted to drought, and
one adapted to cool or damp climates. That way, no matter what the weather
does, you are prepared.

If
you can get your seed started by the first of June, at the very latest, and if
the weather co-operates, you should be able to harvest a bountiful crop this
fall. All the seed varieties mentioned
above can be ordered from “Bountiful Gardens,” if you can’t find them locally.
Their catalog and web site is very informative. You can order seeds or request
a catalog on-line: http://www.BountifulGardens.org or by phone: (707) 459-1925.

What,
Me Garden?

Yes, even you can grow a garden! Right now many Northern Hemisphere Gardens
are bursting with greens—giant red Japanese mustard, collards, kale, arugula,
lettuce, and garlic chives. Spring signals the beginning of the seed setting
season for these crops. Many greens are blooming now, with edible flowers. The early garlic and
chives have fat buds, and the top setting onions provide some comic relief
with their crazy curly not quite flowering tops. Potato plants are surging upwards and
seedling squash are getting their start. Winter parsnips are ready to be dug,
while last spring’s parsnips are shooting juicy edible bolts upward to burst
into bloom. Peppers and tomatoes are waiting their turn to sink their roots
into deep earthworm rich soil. Meanwhile, the beneficial insects and
pollinators make a happy buzz among the flowers; promising pest control this
season and an ample supply of seeds for next year’s garden. If you are not sure
where to start, ask for advice at your local nursery, search this blog on the topics of your choice, or feel free to ask questions by leaving comments here.

Not
Only Can You Garden – You Can Farm!

Every economic down turn or crises
offers opportunities; the next big winners are projected to be small, local,
organic farms and market gardens. If you ever thought of trying your hand at
farming, now would be a great time to explore the idea further. “You Can Farm,
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise,” offers
great advice. Author, Joel Salatin,
shares the ten most profitable ventures for start-ups, as well as how to grow
and diversify. He encourages everyone, even those who do not own land, to not
only farm, but to make good money at it. His best advice is to gain experience
before investing or borrowing. He encourages all would be farmers to volunteer
with local producers to learn the ropes. Hopefully, our local farmers will be
increasing production (sustainably of course) and will need all the help they
can get. If you’re interested, consider starting as a volunteer--perhaps in
trade for produce; but you have also got to read this book. You Can Farm, by Joel Salatin,
published by Polyface, Inc., ISBN 0-9638109-2-8. Available by request from book
stores, libraries, and on-line.

That’s
all for now folks, but I’ll meet you right here the first week of June with
great ideas for getting the most out of your garden.

Copyright 2008, Harvest McCampbell. First published in The Two Rivers Tribune. For permission to repost or reprint please contact me at digging_the_dirt @ yahoo.com (take out spaces).